This invention relates to toys and game apparatus and especially puzzles with movable parts.
A standard Rubik cube is a "3.times.3.times.3" cube, any of whose six "3.times.3.times.1" sides can rotate about its center square in such a way that the cube as a whole does not fall apart. Each of the nine squares appearing on each side initially is colored, uniformly, the same color, with each of the six sides of the cube carrying a different color. Repeated rotations of various ones of the rows and columns comprised of individual squares thoroughly scrambles the colors.
As the Rubik cube becomes scrambled, the solution to the cube, i.e., organizing the cube with each of the six sides uniformly colored, goes beyond the ability and patience of most people. Even for those people who can solve the puzzle, its scrambled states are uninteresting and its desired solutions too few to sustain the interest of the player for a long period of time.
An object of the present invention is to create a three-dimensional puzzle cube whose six sides carry individualistic designs, portions of which appear on each of nine squares comprising each side.
A second object of the present invention is to provide such designs which, when scrambled, create other harmonious designs which can appear as certain simple solutions to the puzzle.
A further object of the invention is to provide such designs having portions with specific orientation so that an ideal solution to the puzzle takes into consideration the orientation of the center one of the individual small squares comprising a side, as well as the combination of specific ones of these squares.